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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Vandegrift cites Midway's 'fairness ordinance' in testifying for bill to create statewide law

By Anyssa Roberts
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift traveled to Frankfort
Wednesday to testify on a panel in favor of the Fairness Campaign’s
anti-discrimination bill at a state legislative committee hearing.

Vandegrift and other members on the panel said the state
should change its civil rights laws to prohibit people from being denied
employment, housing or services due to their sexual orientation and gender
identity.

He told the House Judiciary Committee that passing a “fairness ordinance” in Midway has
been good for the town and would be good for the state as well.

“A lot of folks don’t realize that it’s still legal in
Kentucky to fire someone just because of their sexual orientation,” the mayor
said. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people “simply want to earn a
living and provide for their families just like everyone else.”

Vandergrift said that passing Midway’s ordinance was a
“swift and easy” process and it can be just as easy for Kentucky.

He proposed the amendment in Midway in February of last year
and the city council approved it with a 4-2 vote in June. He said the
Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Human Rights Commission opened his eyes to
the idea when they approached him about a countywide ordinance. The Versailles
council is studying the proposal.

Midway’s ordinance bans discrimination in public
accommodations, employment and housing based on sexual orientation, gender
identity or familial status.

Along with Lexington, Louisville, Danville, Frankfort,
Morehead and Vicco, a small coal-mining town in the Appalachian Mountains,
Midway is the latest city in the state to include protections for LGBT people
in their civil rights ordinance.

Vandegrift spoke alongside Rev. Donzella Lee of the Franklin-Simpson
Human Rights Commission, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville; Sen. Morgan
McGarvey D-Louisville; Bob Brousseau, the director of corporate communications
at Louisville-based Peptides International; and Patti Minter, a Western
Kentucky University professor and leader in an effort to pass an ordinance in
Bowling Green. Each person had a few minutes to testify their reason for
supporting the bill.

In an interview with the Messenger after the hearing,
Vandergrift said prohibiting discrimination of LGBT people statewide could also
be good for the state economically.

“A lot of companies want to go to places where they feel
like their workers and their families will be protected,” he said.

However, the bill will not be passed this session. The group
did not ask for a vote because for fear that it would fail in the hands of the
committee, Marzian said in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Also on Wednesday, more than 100 people rallied in the
Capitol rotunda in support of the bill,
including Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Vandegrift said in the interview, “This truly is the right
thing to do. If the history of progress is any indication, the future will
shake its head at us if we don’t continue moving forward and expanding the
borders of justice and equality.”

Featured Post

News in and around the small but surprisingly interesting town of Midway, Ky., reported, written and photographed mainly by students in community journalism classes in the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media, taught by Extension Professor Al Cross, director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues,www.RuralJournalism.org.